A Way Out
by nasher91
Summary: What if there was a different reason why Remus wasn't so happy about Tonks being pregnant? What if Hermione offered a solution he'd always wanted?


_**The story is my own. The characters used in this story belong to J.K. Rowling as does the opening text in italics which can be found in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, chapter eleven The Bribe. After the italics the plot is entirely of my own creation and simply something imagined.**_

"_But what about Tonks?" She asked.  
>"What about her?" said Lupin.<br>"Well," said Hermione, frowning, "you're married! How does she feel about you going away with us?"  
>"Tonks will be perfectly safe," said Lupin, "She'll be at her parents' house."<em>

…

_There was something strange in Lupin's tone; it was almost cold._

…

"_Remus," said Hermione tentatively, "is everything all right…you know…between you and -" _

"_Everything is fine, thank you," said Lupin pointedly._

_Hermione turned pink. There was another pause, an awkward and embarrassed one, and then Lupin said, with an air of forcing himself to admit something unpleasant, "Tonks is going to have a baby."_

"_Oh, how wonderful!" squealed Hermione._

…

_Lupin gave an artificial smile that was more like a grimace_

…

"_I think you're feeling a bit of a daredevil," Harry said. "You fancy stepping into Sirius' shoes -"_

"_Harry, no!" Hermione begged him, but he continued to glare into Lupin's livid face._

"_I'd never had believed this," Harry said, "The man who taught me to fight Dementors – a coward."_

_Lupin drew his wand so fast that Harry had barely reached for his own; there was a loud bang and he felt himself flying backwards as if punched; as he slammed into the kitchen wall and slid to the floor, he glimpsed the tail of Lupin's cloak disappearing around the door._

"_Remus, Remus, come back!" Hermione cried, but Lupin did not respond. A moment later they heard the front door slam._

…

The rest of the afternoon was extremely tense. Harry, probably through guilt at his earlier actions towards Remus, snapped at Hermione and Ron at the slightest provocation. Ron, never one for confrontation, responded by hiding away in the kitchen with some of the baking Hermione had made the previous day. Not wanting to be left alone with an angst-ridden Harry, Hermione took to wandering around the upper rooms of Grimmauld Place aimlessly.

By evening Hermione had worked her way up to the top of Grimmauld Place. Bored of skulking around the attic, she decided to go back downstairs. She doubted either of the boys would have thought to make tea and she was beginning to get hungry. Just as she reached the stairs that would lead towards the kitchen she heard a noise coming from Sirius' old bedroom. Hermione stilled, her foot hovering between two steps, and slowly drew out her wand. As quietly as she could – thankful for Kreacher's lack of care for the house resulting in a layer of dust – Hermione slunk towards Sirius' room and pushed the door open, wand outstretched.

There was a figure curled up on Sirius' bed, their back to the door. From a quick look, Hermione would have guessed that it was a male taking up the bed. As he was snoring Hermione took advantage of the extra noise and whispered her wand alight. As she quickly scanned the slumbering body she could make out the ends of facial scars and sandy hair with flecks of grey peppering it. _Remus_. Hermione edged her way around the bed so she that she could check her assumption was correct. Her wand light fell on his face and Hermione smiled sadly to herself. He looked so at peace sleeping that she didn't want to wake him.

The decision was taken out of her hands when Remus stirred, awakened no doubt by the light from her wand, and caught her watching him. He smiled at her ruefully. "I imagine you think me a fool hiding out here like a small child."

"No Remus, of course not!" The denial was instantaneous, although there was a hesitant pause after it, "Remus, why _are_ you here?"

Much to Hermione's surprise a blush stole across Remus' face. "Sirius' room was where I used to hide out after a particularly bad transformation and my parents struggled to understand. They didn't know how to handle me, but Sirius knew what it was like to be an outcast in your own family. After Sirius ran away from here I used to go to the Potters' house…" he trailed off as he realised he was rambling and looked at her bashfully. "I guess I wanted somewhere familiar to work things out."

"Harry didn't mean to snap like that at you. He's been terrible all day since we thought you left."

"So I heard." He was staring at her strangely, as if he had a secret he so dearly wanted to share but was weighing up whether or not to tell her. Guessing he needed time to make up his mind Hermione watched him silently. Evidently this was the right thing to do. "Do you know _why_ I'm less than pleased about my current circumstances?" Hermione shook her head and Remus paused for a moment before continuing, "Tonks' baby isn't mine. She's at her parent's house because I asked her for some space…some time to think things through. What do you know about wizarding marriages Hermione?"

To her credit, Hermione didn't flinch at the seemingly abrupt change of subject "Erm not a lot really. At Bill and Fleur's wedding the wizard who led it said that they were bonded for life. Can wizards divorce Remus?"

Remus smiled, amazed as ever at Hermione's ability to ask the right question, but it fell quickly from his face. "It's like the wizard at the wedding said Hermione. Once married you are bonded for life. There is no such thing as a wizard divorce. The only way a marriage can be dissolved is if the husband commits adultery and the wife complains. Many wizards take lovers and their wives accept it. However that is the only way it works. If, for example, the wife has an affair the husband cannot do anything even if a child is conceived as a result of the affair. The husband must bring up the illegitimate child as his own. This is, at the moment, my fate."

"But who? Tonks seemed so…so _happy_ with you."

A bitter laugh escaped Remus before he could help himself. "She was never happy. Not fully. Oh yes she had an infatuation of sorts…a crush on me we'll say. But the reality of living with a werewolf soon set in. However there was pressure from outside sources and she caved. Wanting to keep them happy she pursued marrying me and I, believing I deserved no better than a woman _prepared_ to put up with me, agreed. She announced her pregnancy a month into the marriage. Another Auror's child. When she told me about the child she told me the Auror's identity. He'd died on a job. That's when I asked for time to think and came here."

Hermione weighed up what he said, her face clearly expressing the hard thought process of working out who the baby's father was. Realisation dawned, followed swiftly by shock and disbelief. "But he's so much older than you both!"

"Moody was only a few years older than myself. His time on the front line during Voldermort's reign took its toll on him, making him look much older than he really was. He trained Tonks when she first became an Auror and things escalated from there apparently. She confided in him about our marriage and they had an affair, resulting in a pregnancy."

Remus' voice was getting higher now, Hermione was beginning to worry he was about to have a hysterical breakdown. Tentatively she sat down on a small space on the bed in front of him and placed a hand on his arm. He blinked in surprise and focused properly on Hermione for the first time since she'd walked into the room.

"I'm sorry Hermione. You didn't come in here to hear the woeful tales of a bitter old man I'm sure." He tried to sit up but Hermione's grip tightened on him and she pushed him back.

"I don't see any bitter old men in here. Unless you're hiding them under the bed that is. I'm your friend Remus. Friends listen to each other."

Remus' hand went up to Hermione's cheek and stroked it. She was astonished to find that his hands were nowhere near as rough as she had imagined them. "Lovely Hermione, always so willing to help." Remus whispered, gazing at Hermione with gratitude and respect. "What has this fool done to deserve someone as wonderful as you?"

Hermione blushed under his scrutiny. "I'm nobody special Remus. I'm flawed just like everyone else."

She watched him pull his hand away, curiosity flickering in his voice as he spoke, "oh really? Pray tell, what flaws could you ever have?"

"I've never known love. Not properly. What kind of woman has never loved another man?"

"Hermione you're young. A wizard will come along and capture your intrigue soon enough. Is that really it?"

She paused, weighing up the sensibility in burdening this next truth on Remus. Then again, she reasoned with herself, he'd been entirely truthful with her.

"I did think I was in love once," she admitted, "but I never did anything about it. I was scared. Even if I had acted upon my feelings it would have been terrible."

"How so?"

"He was a teacher…and then he got married."

Remus stared at her incredulously. "A married teacher? Hermione I must confess I'm surprised. I would have guessed feelings for Ron, or Harry…"

Hermione rolled her eyes "as wonderful as they both are, neither of them are exactly what you'd call _mature_."

"And who would you consider mature? I know many wizards whose age has brought no more maturity than in their youth."

"You're mature Remus"

He laughed before he could help himself. "Hermione I've run away from my problems and hid myself in a bedroom in a foolish attempt to escape them. Where exactly is maturity evident in my actions?"

"You could have acted differently. You've removed yourself from the situation to decide what to do before acting. You could so easily have gone out and found a willing witch to seek revenge on Tonks and then either gloat or become separated."

"Oh Hermione, you still have no idea how unlikely that is. Tonks was hardly willing once she realised the truth so why would a witch wish to associate with me, regardless of the length of time?"

There was a desperate pain in his eyes that Hermione had only seen once before, when he had been revealed as a werewolf back in her third year at Hogwarts, and the idea that he was hurting tore at her heart. "But you're so much more than just a werewolf Remus!"

Remus turned to her and laughed bitterly. "You will be one of the very few witches in the world who thinks so. As much as I appreciate your kind words Hermione I am much too weary to travel around the world looking for a woman who could love me in the full knowledge of what it is like to live with a werewolf. I will much more likely return to Tonks and resume a life of comfort and accept that I cannot please her. Unless," he said, a hint of a bemused smile tugging at his lips, "you're aware of such a witch?"

"I am actually," Remus jumped in surprise and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her, "oh Remus do you honestly not know?" When he continued to gaze at her in surprise and confusion, Hermione let out a groan of frustration. Deciding she had to make a demonstration at the same time as her confession, lest he mistake her words for sympathy, she readjusted herself on the bed so she was closer to Remus, who was now sitting up against the headboard looking bewildered. She placed her hand upon his and took a deep breath before speaking. "What about me?"

"Hermione that's very kind of you but I'm much older than you –"

"The age difference between us is no difference than that of Tonks and Moody. I've known about you for years. I've witnessed you before, after and during a transformation. I am most adept at brewing wolfsbane potion and healing spells…"

"You shouldn't even consider giving up your future to become my carer Hermione. I won't allow it."

"What about your wife?"

"Tonks made her decision."

"No Remus, I meant what about me becoming your wife."

"In case you hadn't noticed Hermione I'm already married."

Hermione giggled at his dry remark before adopting a serious expression. "You said there was a way out of that."

He sighed, noting the look in her eyes and realising that she would not give up questioning him until he relented and provided her with information. "If a husband has an affair, then the wife can request their bond be broken. It is very rare but it happens. However I could not permitted you to be caught up in this."

"But I want to be."

And then, acting more boldly than she ever had before, she kissed him firmly. Remus' eyes widened in shock; he placed his hands on Hermione's shoulders and was about to push her away when she did something that surprised him further and lifted her hands to his hair, knotting it in her fingers and pulling him closer to her. It was then that Remus forgot his concerns and reservations and responded to Hermione, making her squeak in surprise. By the time they pulled apart, feeling slightly light headed, Remus had pulled Hermione onto his lap and had looped his arms around her waist. As for Hermione she had messed up Remus' hair and wrinkled his shirt where she had pressed herself against him.

She looked flustered as she nervously waited for his response.

"Hermione," Remus breathed out, "for once in my life I don't understand. Please explain what just happened to me, or rather why it happened."

"You were the married teacher Remus. You are the mature wizard I prefer," she licked her lips nervously, prompting Remus' attention to be momentarily diverted to them, before continuing, "I'm aware this is not quite conventional, nor is it morally sound, but I would happily replace Tonks as your wife."

Remus' response was drowned out by a loud shout from downstairs. It sounded like Ron had bumped into Harry, triggering an angry outburst. Hermione glanced towards the doorway and sighed dispassionately. Remus pulled her face back round to him and smiled up at her.

"Go to them. They need you right now."

"What about you?"

"I'll wait until you're ready or change your mind, whichever comes first."

Hermione sighed again, suddenly feeling very tired and very old, she ran her fingers through Remus' hair, smoothing it out again and placed a kiss against his forehead. She barely moved away from Remus when she pulled back and gazed down at him. "Part of me wants to stay here forever" she whispered, finally voicing her thoughts of the last few days.

Remus reached up and tenderly stroked her cheek. "I know I've already asked but is there any way you could tell me what the three of you are doing?"

Hermione was silent for a while, weighing up her options in her head. Finally she nodded her head. "You must vow not to tell anybody else, no matter what happens." She told him, quite seriously, Remus stayed silent but locked eyes with her and nodded. After a cautious glance at the darkened doorway Hermione took a deep breath and continued. "You-Know-Who made something called a Horcrux. Well, we think he made six." Remus' eyes widened again but he let her speak, "Dumbledore gave Harry enough information to find the last four, having already found and destroyed the other two himself before his death. We're not going back to Hogwarts this year for that reason. Nobody else knows why except that we have a mission from Dumbledore."

Remus closed his eyes wearily and his grip on Hermione tightened, pulling her closely to him. "Now I know that, I don't want you to go either." He murmured into her hair. Hermione sniffed in response. "I suppose this is the only way to defeat him isn't it? I've heard of Horcruxes before but I've never read about them properly."

"Oh Remus they're absolutely _horrible_ things. I got some books from Dumbledore's office about them and they're really graphic. You split your soul by killing someone but it's really dangerous and unstable. And that's only one. Dumbledore thought You-Know-Who had done it six times…" she shuddered "but Harry needs us" she asserted softly. Remus stroked her hair and pressed his lips to hers.

"I know. Both of them need you. Which is why I'm going to say this: go downstairs and make them see sense. I'll leave once you've gone downstairs. I won't tell anyone of this conversation but I'll be here for you when you get back, if you still want me."

Hermione nodded, wiped away a few tears and allowed him to kiss her again before she left the room, glancing over her shoulder at him as she pulled the door closed to muffle the sound of his apparation. When the muffled pop came from the other side of the door Hermione let out a small whimper, forcibly pulled herself together and made her way downstairs to get the boys talking again.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

"And what about you, what are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you staying here with Harry or coming with me?"

Hermione hovered anxiously. She hated it when the boys fought but this was worse than usual. Her eyes spotted the Horcrux around Ron's neck. "Take the Horcrux off Ron, you wouldn't be like this if you hadn't been wearing it for so long!"

"Don't tell me what to do Hermione, you're not my mother!" Ron scowled at her and stepped forward angrily. Harry instantly stepped in front of Hermione, his wand out and ready to protect them if needed to.

"Thankfully!" The word slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Instantly Ron's face darkened further and she regretted her flippant remark.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Ron, please stop this." She was crying now, desperately trying to calm Ron down. It all seemed in vain however as Ron wrenched the Horcrux off from around his neck, threw it down to the ground and stormed out of the tent, into the rain and out of the reach of the protective enchantments. Hermione was momentarily rooted to the ground before coming to a realisation of what had actually just happened. Then she ran out of the tent after Ron, calling his name frantically. When she came back alone it was obvious to Harry that Ron had left them for good. Hermione didn't speak to him; consenting instead to pull on another jumper, climb into bed facing the wall of the tent and cry silently.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

As weeks passed and there was still no sign of Ron, Hermione wished more than ever that there was some way of talking to Remus. She had already known, after their conversation, that leaving was going to be harder than ever and almost every day she was tempted to somehow try and get a message to him. She had no idea what had happened since Remus left Grimmauld Place; whether or not he was still with Tonks.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

"…and Romulus, what would you say to Harry and his friends if you could?" Hermione smiled at Remus' choice of code name and listened anxiously for his response. She had been cooking food outside when Ron had found Potterwatch on the wireless radio. It had only been when Harry had shouted out in surprise at hearing Remus that Hermione had run in with a smoking sleeve from where it had caught the fire during her shocked fumbling.

"I'd say to them that I am very proud of them and care for them. And I would tell Harry to trust his instincts as he is usually right."

Hermione watched Harry grin and allowed herself a small smile. She was about to return to the fire outside to finish their food when Remus cut over Fred.

"I would also say that I very much look forward to seeing them again as soon as possible."

Hermione found it impossible to hide her smile for the rest of the night.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

"Tonks has had her baby. It's a boy. His hair was blonde when I left but it'll probably be ginger when I get back."

Remus was more flustered than she'd ever seen him. She'd snuck into the kitchen when she'd heard raised voices, still frightened of being alone when something unusual was occurring. Bill looked up first when he saw her enter the room.

"Hermione?"

Everyone else in the room promptly looked in her direction causing her to shrink back. Bellatrix was about to get Greyback to torture Hermione further when Ron and Harry had burst into the room. She had already lost a lot of blood from Bellatrix's persecution and had passed out just as Ron caught her in his arms. When she'd woken up again she'd found Fleur by her bedside, watching over her anxiously. Hermione refused to leave her room and had been reluctant for the first few days to see anybody apart from Fleur, whose gentle and caring demeanour around Hermione comforted her and calmed her when the nightmares came.

Remus paled as he took in Hermione's pale and dishevelled figure. Panic set into Hermione's mind and any curiosity she'd had fled her. "Sorry" she muttered and all but ran from the room. She'd just made it back to her bedroom when there was a knock at her door.

"Hermione, may I come in?"

"Remus?"

Cautiously, as if expecting it to be a trick of her mind, Hermione opened the door and admitted him to her room. She could only guess how terrible she looked but she couldn't find the energy to care. Remus approached her hesitantly, as if imagined she would bolt if he moved too fast. Finally they'd both taken a seat on the edge of the bed, although Remus still kept some distance from her.

"What happened? Nobody will tell me."

Hermione shifted uncomfortably and the sleeve of her dressing gown fell down, revealing the end of her scar. Remus eyed it but said nothing.

"We got caught," Hermione managed to croak out – her voice hoarse from days lacking of use – before she burst into tears. Almost instinctively Remus pulled her onto his lap again and wrapped his arms around her torso, whispering comfort into her ear. Much to her own surprise, Hermione didn't pull away. This was the most human contact she'd had since they'd escaped from Malfoy Manor. "Harry said h-his name and the snatchers came," Hermione told Remus' chest, "I tried to hide Harry's scar with a stinging charm but they guessed it was him. They took us to the Malfoy's place and Bellatrix took me when she saw we had Gryffindor's sword. S-s-she tort-tortured me. She was about to get Greyback when the boys escaped. When I woke up we were here and Fleur was sitting next to my bed singing in French."

Remus pulled an arm away from Hermione and placed his hand on her wrist. "May I?" He asked, nudging the edge of her dressing gown sleeve. She nodded, a look of apprehension in her eyes, and watched his face for his reaction as he gently pulled back the sleeve to reveal the full extent of her scar. Sadness filled his eyes as he saw the word etched into her skin. Hermione went to pull the sleeve down but Remus rested his hand on top of hers. "Don't" he whispered. Raising her arm to his lips he tenderly kissed the length of the scar. When he was done, he drew the sleeve up to her wrist again.

Hermione was still staring at him in a mixture of wonder and trepidation. "It's hideous," she mumbled ashamedly, refusing to meet his eyes, "I feel like I've been branded."

Remus lifted her face up so she was forced to meet his gaze. He moved her so she was now sitting beside him and undid the top few buttons of his shirt, pulling it to one side so his shoulder was visible. He held out his hand for Hermione's. When she took his hand, he pulled her fingers to one particular scar on his shoulder. It was the most faded, although with the tips of her fingers Hermione could feel that it was still raised more than the other few scars that littered his shoulder.

"That is the scar from Greyback's bite," he told her, "and for years afterwards I felt branded, dirty, because of what had happened to me. But it wasn't my fault, and it wasn't yours that Bellatrix did that to you. People like those, people who serve _him_, aren't normal in their thinking. They're twisted and perverted in the torture they like to inflict. But you are not defined by what happened to you. _You're not!_" Remus had raised his voice slightly for Hermione had turned away from him, disbelief evident in her expression. Remus twisted in his position on the bed so he was facing her once again. "Hermione you are still the same excellent witch who I've watched turn into a remarkable young woman. You are beautiful, smart, witty, graceful and unwaveringly devoted to those you care about. I have yet to meet a witch who captivates me as much as you do. I don't think such a witch exists."

Silent tears were streaming down Hermione's cheeks as she listened to Remus. When he finished she tentatively laced her fingers with his and forced herself to smile at him. "Thank you," she told him in her still-scratchy voice. Remus made to dismiss her thanks in a fit of embarrassment but Hermione squeezed his hand. "I mean it," she insisted.

They were silent for a couple of minutes. "I missed you," she finally admitted, blushing as he turned to her.

He beamed at her and kissed the top of her head. "Not as much as I missed you" he countered. Hermione opened her mouth to retaliate but Remus was unable to hold back anymore. Before a word had even formed on her lips Remus had bent down and silenced her. Hermione sighed contentedly into the kiss and allowed Remus to deepen it. Moment later he pulled away, his eyes much darker than they had been when he entered the room.

Neither of them were able to speak because at that moment there was a knock at the door. "Remus, Hermione? Are you both okay?" Harry's voice reminded them of where they were, of why Remus had come to Shell Cottage in the first place. Remus tightened his grip on Hermione.

"I don't want to let you go again," he told her desperately.

Hermione smiled sadly. "Harry will be expecting you to be with Tonks, not holed up in my bedroom." She reminded him. Remus pulled a face, grinning when he finally earned a small laugh from Hermione, and quickly kissed her again. They had just broken apart when Harry opened the door. "Thank you for talking to me Remus," Hermione said bashfully, squeezing his hand before reluctantly letting it go and standing up to greet Harry.

Remus stood up behind her and nodded at Harry. "I should be going. Goodbye Harry, Hermione, it was good to see you." He shook Harry's hand and shot Hermione a furtively longing look before heading downstairs to say goodbye to the others.

Harry waited until he was sure Remus was downstairs, then turned to Hermione. "Care to explain?" He asked quietly, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him, "I know something's going on."

"Remus and I were talking about the scar. He noticed it downstairs. He understands it better than most."

"Bill would have understood just as well. He's been trying to talk to you all week." Harry reminded her, watching for her reaction with suspicion. Unable to help herself, Hermione blushed. Harry walked further into the room so he was standing in front of Hermione. "Hermione, what's happening between you and Remus?"

He was watching her so carefully, with such a look of concern, that Hermione nearly broke and confessed everything to him. But she couldn't. Now wasn't the right time. So she smiled and stepped back. "There's nothing going on Harry, really."

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Remus came back once during the time Hermione, Ron and Harry remained at Shell Cottage. He came bearing a picture of Tonks' baby, named Ted after Tonks' father who had been caught and murdered by some snatchers. Hermione forced a smile as the picture was passed under her nose, but couldn't help but feel disgusted that Tonks' lack of care for Remus had resulted in this child with ever-changing coloured hair.

It was difficult but they managed to get some time alone. Hermione volunteered to wash up after lunch during Remus' visit and he offered to help her. Alone in the kitchen Hermione finally allowed herself to ask the question that had been plaguing her ever since news of Tonks giving birth had reached her.

"So what happens now?" She asked fearfully, handing Remus a tea towel and filling up the sink with her wand.

"Now? Now I enjoy this time with you," Remus whispered huskily in an undertone, grabbing her by the hips and pulling her to him. Hermione grinned and batted him with her hand.

"I'm serious Remus. Tonks has had her baby, we're coming closer and closer to the end of this war and we still haven't discussed it."

A flash of impatience hovered over Remus' face "What do you want Hermione? Tell me what you want, what you need and I'll do it." Hermione balked, surprised at his sudden change in mood and his gaze softened. "I'm sorry, it's days away from a full moon and I'm tense from stopping myself grabbing you in front of everybody else."

Hermione ran her hand up and down his arm soothingly. "It's alright Remus, I understand. What I want is to be with you, to know that when all this is over and I need someone that you'll be there for me."

Remus brushed his lips against Hermione's forehead. "Always," he whispered in response to her plea to him before finally allowing himself what he'd been holding back from. He placed a kiss on the end of her nose, causing her to giggle, then captured her lips with his. He was surprised when Hermione, usually quite docile, responded to him with equal enthusiasm. Her hands worked their way around his waist and were making little scratching motions against his back, making Remus more desperate for her than he usually was. He moulded Hermione to him, clinging onto her with one arm wrapped around her back, and traced the outline of her body with his free hand. She moaned against his lips and he lifted her up onto the just cleared kitchen table. Instantly she wrapped her legs around his waist and tugged on his hair, trying to pull him closer than he already was.

Although neither spoke, they pulled away as if by mutual agreement. Hermione was blushing furiously and looked amazed by what had just happened. "Remus…" she breathed out dazedly.

"I know" he was quick to assure her. There was a knock on the door, drawing both of them back to their present location. Hermione released her legs from Remus' waist and jumped down from the table, straightening up her clothes as she crossed to the sink and speedily working on the washing up. Remus tamed his now messy hair and picked up the tea towel they'd discarded earlier. Fleur walked into the kitchen mere seconds later. "Ronald left ze glasses upstairs" she informed them, glancing from one to the other with suspicion. "I don't understand how 'e can be so messy!" Hermione laughed and took the glasses from Fleur.

"Don't worry, we're nearly done but a few more glasses won't matter." Fleur nodded, still looking from Remus to Hermione curiously, and left the kitchen. Remus kissed Hermione's shoulder, causing her to take a sharp intake of breath. He chuckled and waved his wand, setting the tea towel to work for him. He took the dishcloth from Hermione's hand and performed the same spell. With the washing up taken care of, he took Hermione's hand and led her back to the table. Pulling out a chair for her before he sat down, Remus took the seat opposite her and gripped her hand across the table.

"I apologise."

Hermione frowned at him "What do you mean, you apologise? What have you done wrong?"

"I did not mean to get so caught up just then. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. That was never my intention."

"Remus," Hermione chided him gently, "in case you didn't notice I got just as caught up as you did. In fact if Fleur hadn't interrupted I would have got even more carried away." She admitted, unable to bring herself to meet his gaze.

"Hermione," Remus choked out, "I don't think now is the best time to tell me things like that because I'm very sorely tempted to get us back to the way we were before Fleur interrupted and continue until you stop me." Hermione blushed, unaccustomed to being on the receiving end of such wanton scrutiny.

"Oh," she squeaked, "I see."

Remus chuckled and kissed her hand. "I already told you that I was quite captivated by you Hermione, surely that my feelings are so amorous for you aren't that much of a surprise?"

"No, no, of course not!" Hermione was now completely flustered, "I'm just not used to it I suppose."

"Well I intend to make you used to it then. When you return I will tell Tonks everything. She barely talks to me when we're alone anyway so I doubt she'll struggle against my request. But you must understand. I have not got enough money to support us both comfortably and it is difficult for me to get a steady job. I usually work as a muggle handy man to gain an income as I can work around the full moon. I have managed to buy a small flat separate from the house Tonks' parents bought us with money set aside and the small amount of gold Sirius left me in his will."

"Remus I don't care how much money you have."

"You must understand though Hermione, I am not a rich man and it causes a lot of the tension between myself and Tonks." He looked down, embarrassed, "she thinks I am less of a man because I cannot provide properly."

There was a scraping against the kitchen floor as Hermione pushed her chair back and perched on the edge of the table nearest Remus. She ran a hand over his hair and waited until he was looking at her. "You are no less of a man in any way in my eyes Remus." She told him, her voice stern with wanting him to accept what she was telling him. Remus shook his head but Hermione caught it in her hands. "You are one of the most amazing men I have ever met Remus Lupin. I do not care about your money, I don't want you for that. I want you because of you, understood?" Slowly Remus nodded his head and a smile unfurled on Hermione's face. "Good," she beamed, dropping a kiss onto his lips and jumping off the table. "We should get going," she said reluctantly looking at the completed washing up, "before someone else comes looking for us."

Remus stood and cast a regretful look out of the window. "I should be leaving soon anyway, lest any of the others think I'm being neglectful." He kissed Hermione quickly, roughly, and strode through the door, leaving her standing in the middle of the kitchen to recover her emotions.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

"Look I'm not going to be mad at you Hermione, I just want you to admit that something's going on!" Harry was whispering harshly as they walked a few steps behind Ron's long strides. They had both stopped trying to keep up with him a long time ago.

"What makes you so sure something is going on?" She retorted snappily. Ever since they'd left Shell Cottage that morning Harry had pestered Hermione about his suspicions whenever they'd been away from Ron. So far Hermione had tried ignoring him and outright denial. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up under Harry's piercing gaze.

"You were gone for nearly an hour when he was in your room at Shell Cottage, and again when you did the washing up together. You're jumpy whenever we mention Tonks or Teddy. And Fleur said you both looked flustered when she went to take more washing up through."

"And so what if there was?"

Harry grimaced for a moment, "Hermione he's much older than you. He's old enough to be your father…any of our fathers, and he's _married_."

"And he's miserable!" Hermione snapped, rounding on Harry. Harry looked shocked by her outburst but stuck to his point.

"Miserable or not Hermione he is married to Tonks and they have a child."

"He's not even the father!" Hermione screeched, attracting Ron's attention. He backtracked to where Hermione and Harry stood; Harry frozen in surprise and Hermione glaring stubbornly at him, and placed a shoulder on Hermione's shoulder in concern.

"Are you okay Hermione?" He asked, casting a worried look between her and Harry.

Hermione shrugged his hand from her shoulder and stalked off ahead of the boys with an "I'm just _fine_ thank you Ronald" as her parting shot.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Harry tried again as Ron dozed in an armchair at the Hogs Head: "What did you mean, he's not the father?"

"Exactly that, Harry. What else could I have meant?"

"But if Remus isn't the father then who is?"

"Was. He died a good few months ago now. He was in the Order."

Harry stared at Hermione as realization sunk in. "Moody? Teddy is really Moody's baby? You're joking, right?" Hermione remained silent and simply looked at him in a way that left no doubt that Harry had reached the right conclusion. "So where do you come into all of this?"

Hermione sighed, realising that she may as well tell Harry everything now. "After you shouted at him he didn't storm out. Ron and I were keeping out of your way by various means. Mine was walking around the house, where I found Remus asleep in Sirius' room. He woke up before I could leave and he told me the truth. I asked him why he couldn't leave Tonks and he told me that wizards and witches can't divorce unless the wife complains of the husband having an affair. He was resigned to staying with Tonks, comfortable but miserable and hating himself, because he didn't think another witch would want him or be able to deal with his transformations. I, I had a crush of sorts on Remus years ago and it never went away. It grew into more than a crush but obviously he was married by the time I realised what it was so I never said anything. I told him all of this and suggested myself as such a witch who could love him regardless of his werewolf status. He thought I was being kind at first so I kissed him to prove I was being serious. At Shell Cottage we were talking about what we were going to do once the war was over, about us and Tonks I mean. Neither Remus or I are content to keep things secret but we wanted to focus on the war first…" She trailed off lamely, avoiding Harry's gaze as he processed everything.

"You and Remus? You're sure about this Hermione, right? Because once this comes out things aren't going to be easy for either of you, him especially."

Hermione fixed Harry with a look reminiscent of Professor McGonagall's best glare. "Do you think I wasn't aware of that? I've thought about this long and hard Harry and I'm sure. I want to be with Remus. I love him."

"Took you long enough!" Ron's sleepy voice came from the corner of the room. Harry and Hermione both jumped and spun around to face him. He was watching them in amusement. "Don't act so shocked that I worked it out. I know I can be a bit slow on the uptake but even I'm not that slow."

Hermione couldn't help it, between Ron's word and the look on his face she burst into laughter. Soon Harry and Ron joined in, sobering only when Aberforth came back into the room to help them get into Hogwarts undetected.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

"It's over…it's really over?" Hermione waited for Harry's confirmation. Everyone was celebrating in the great hall except Ron, Hermione and Harry who were standing in Dumbledore's office.

"It's over Miss Granger. As much as I wish you could all stay and discuss what happened with me, I'm sure you all have people waiting for you. Miss Granger, I hear from one of the portraits near the great hall that Remus has woken."

Dumbledore smiled fondly as Hermione all but ran out of the office with a casual goodbye called out. Ron and Harry turned to Dumbledore in surprise. "Sir, how did you know?"

"You forget, Harry, that a certain old headmaster has a portrait in Grimmauld Place as well as here. The door to Sirius' bedroom was open the evening they had their first discussion and it was reported back to me. Personally I think Miss Granger and Remus are well suited. Do you know how Tonks took the news?"

Ron and Harry glanced awkwardly at each other. "Tonks died in the battle. She took a spell Bellatrix aimed at Mrs Weasley."

Dumbledore's usual twinkle in his eye dimmed at this news. "That is very unfortunate. Tonks was a wonderful Auror; flawed, yes, but wonderful. It's such a shame their child will be raised by one parent."

"Actually Hermione already said that she'd help Remus if he wanted to take care of Teddy once he woke up and heard the news."

"What will happen to the boy if Remus will not?"

"I'll do it, I'm his godfather. Ginny has already agreed." Dumbledore resumed smiling at Harry and nodded his approval.

"I'm glad, either way the boy will have a wonderful set of parents. Now boys, I will be here forever but the celebrations will not. Go and find your friends and families and rejoice."

Harry and Ron nodded at their old headmaster's portrait and headed back to the great hall. Sitting in a corner, surrounded by excited redheads, Luna and Neville – who were holding hands – was Remus and Hermione. Remus had clearly only just woken up and was still feeling pain as Hermione kept whispering a healing spell on cuts and scratches she spotted decorating Remus' arms and face. Mrs Weasley was sobbing joyfully at the pair of them and Ginny was trying to calm her mother down. George grinned at his brother and Harry as he spotted them approaching.

"Remus and Hermione just told us they're getting married and that Hermione's adopting Teddy with Remus. Mum's going to have a fit at all the marriages that are going to happen this summer."

"What do you mean 'all the weddings'? How many are there?" Ron asked, scrunching his face up in confusion.

"Well there's Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Remus, Luna and Neville, Percy and Penelope, Luna and Neville, me and Katie, and Fred and Angelina."

Ron grimaced. "I'm glad you and Fred got me those new dress robes now. I'd hate to be stuck in those old lace ones all summer."

Hermione, having heard Ron's grumbling, looked up at them beaming. "You two are my groomsmen of course?" She asked in a tone that made it obvious there was no choice.

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

"I now pronounce you bonded for life." The tufty wizard who led Bill and Fleur's wedding said, "you may now kiss your wife." There was applause and a loud screeching sound as some of Fred and George's fireworks went off in the background. Hermione jokingly wagged a finger at the twins who beamed proudly back at her and started chanting:

"KISS! KISS! KISS!"

It didn't take long for the entire congregation gathered in the Weasley's back garden to join in the chant. Remus turned to Hermione, a reluctant look on his face. "_Sonorous_…well if I must" he deadpanned before pulling Hermione into a passionate kiss.


End file.
